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Florida lawmakers have advanced a bill that would allow students to take courses from online providers in other counties and states. These virtual companies then could seek funding from the state, rather than through contracts with local school districts. Supporters say these changes would place the state on the leading edge of 21st-century learning and expand student choice, but opponents counter that they serve to privatize public education.

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It used to be that "video in the classroom" meant showing a movie to students, Katie Lepi of Edudemic writes. These days, video technology has become a useful tool to improve teaching and learning and help students master 21st-century skills, Lepi notes. Among other things, this infographic shows how video helps to increase engagement, facilitate collaboration, maximize resources, accommodate different learning styles and improve learning outcomes, she writes.

Two virtual schools are operating under a pilot program in Iowa, run by out-of-state education corporations and serving a primarily rural population. The schools are campaigning for more students following the release of mixed first-year test results, while lawmakers weigh more availability for virtual schools in the state. Still, some officials say, virtual schooling may not be the best educational model for all students.

A Pennsylvania school district is finding ways to combine science, technology, engineering and math with the arts. In one school, students used a robotics kit to create interactive features to accompany audio recordings of a Robert Frost poem. Educators say these types of hands-on activities can help engage students in poetry who generally do not like the subject.

The decision in Wisconsin to award a contract for a statewide student information system to an out-of-state contractor has led some lawmakers to back a bill that would require the state secure multiple vendors. At issue is the concern that Wisconsin-based Skyward, which currently provides the technology for about half of the schools in the state, no longer would be a provider -- and the local company would be shut out.

Seventeen teams of teachers from 10 states attended last week's Innovative Education Forum in Washington, D.C., to exhibit projects that combine technology and 21st-century skills. The event, which was sponsored by Microsoft Partners in Learning, honors teachers who "practice the elements of 21st-century learning in their own classrooms, and then incorporate these skills into the student learning environment," according to Microsoft. Teachers selected at the U.S. event will move on to the Worldwide Innovative Teachers Forum being held in October in South Africa.